Why do markers stain?
The ink in permanent markers is designed to penetrate cellulose (the main part of the cell walls of plants), effectively dying cotton fabrics or paper. The added color can be permanent—and it’s supposed to be. But, if something breaks up the ink, the right bleach product can remove the stain.
Isopropyl alcohol is very effective at breaking up ink, especially when it’s formulated into a hand sanitizer gel. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer penetrates the weave or knit of a textile and helps break up the ink stain.
Tips for removing permanent marker stains
If something breaks up a permanent marker stain, such as isopropyl alcohol, it’s easier for the right bleach product to remove the stain.
Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach should never be used full strength to treat a stain. Instead, use a bleach and water solution made with ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach added to ¾ cup water. Apply the bleach and water solution to the stain and then immediately machine wash the item using detergent and ⅓ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.
Keep reading to learn more about removing difficult marker stains.
Steps for removing permanent marker from white bleach-safe fabrics
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1
Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.
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2
Pretreat again by applying a small amount of a bleach and water solution made with ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach added to ¾ cup water to the stain.
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3
Immediately wash the item in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and ⅓ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.
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4
Air dry and check to make sure stain removal was a success.
Steps for removing permanent marker from items with color or white items with spandex
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1
Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.
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2
Apply Clorox 2® for Colors 3-in-1 directly to the stain and wait 10 minutes.
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3
Wash the item in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and more Clorox 2® for Colors 3-in-1.
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4
Air dry and check to make sure stain removal was a success.
Remember, it’s important to avoid bleaching clothing that contains spandex—and any items with wool, silk, mohair or leather.
Watch this video for a demonstration on how to remove tough marker stains.
Steps for removing black felt tip pen ink from colored fabric
For felt tip pen stains on colored fabric, pretreat with a little Clorox 2® for Colors 3-in-1.
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1
Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.
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2
Apply Clorox 2® for Colors 3-in-1 directly to the stain and wait 10 minutes.
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3
Wash the item in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and more Clorox 2® for Colors 3-in-1.
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4
Air dry and check to make sure stain removal was a success.
Steps for removing black felt tip pen ink from white items that don't contain spandex
For white items that don’t contain spandex, first pretreat with hand sanitizer, then pretreat again using a bleach and water solution made with ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach added to ¾ cup water.
Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach should never be used full strength to treat a stain.
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1
Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.
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2
Pretreat again by applying a small amount of a bleach and water solution made with ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach added to ¾ cup water to the stain.
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3
Immediately wash the item in hot water with detergent and ⅓ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.
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4
Air dry and check to make sure stain removal was a success.
It’s important to note that ink from felt tip pens is very concentrated and commonly bleeds onto fabric. So, it may require you to repeat the treatment multiple times to get the stain out.
Steps for removing ballpoint pen ink from colored or white fabrics with spandex
The good news is that most ink stains from ballpoint pens (as opposed to permanent marker) can be easily removed from most washable fabrics. Just follow our process.
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1
Apply alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.
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2
Apply Clorox 2® for Colors 3-in-1 directly to the stain and wait 10 minutes.
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3
Wash the item in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and more Clorox 2® for Colors 3-in-1.
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4
Air dry and check to make sure stain removal was a success.
Check out this article to learn how to remove gel pen ink stains.
Do’s and Don’ts for removing marker stains
Use alcohol-based products to break up ink before applying a bleach product.
Keep items out of a hot dryer until you know the stain is completely gone.
Repeat the pretreatment step if necessary.
Don't forget to pretreat a second time with the appropriate bleach product.
Want to learn more about getting out bleachable and non-bleachable marker stains? Watch this video.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you get marker stains out of upholstery?
Permanent marker stains are very difficult to remove from soft surfaces like fabric, carpet and upholstery because of the nature of the ink—it’s supposed to be permanent.
But, if you can machine wash an item (sorry carpet and upholstery), and pretreat the stains with hand sanitizer before pretreating with the appropriate bleach product, the chance of removing the stains improves.
However, laundry products aren’t appropriate for use on carpet or upholstery because they require too much water for a thorough rinsing.- How do you remove marker stains from other surfaces, like a kitchen counter?
Clorox® Clean-Up® Cleaner + Bleach can remove marker stains from hard, bleach-safe, nonporous surfaces.
- How do you remove dried marker stains?
Markers are designed to dry quickly. So, stains, in general, are dry because of the nature of the staining material. The steps for removing permanent marker stains apply to both fresh and older stains.
- Can milk remove ink stains?
If you use milk to rinse a fresh ink stain, it may reduce the amount of stain you have to treat. But, the lactic acid in milk is not enough to break up the ink for complete removal.